Hi girly, first of all I love love love your story’s 🫶🏻
Could I request a story for Guela? The reader and guela are at his parents house. Everything was fine, later some friends from is parents came to the House with there daugther. At the dinner Guelas parents are talking about that the daugther is a better option for Guela than the reader and like talked bad about the reader. She is feeling real sad because she hoped they would like her and she would have a second Family (the reader has not the best relationship with her Family) guela is mit saying anything and is just laugthing. Only Dez and his gf are seeing that you are hurt by those comments and are talking to guela (idk how this story could end ) Sooooorrry
The drive to Guéla’s parents’ house had been calm. Every now and then Guéla would reach across to squeeze your hand before returning it to the steering wheel flashing you one of those effortless smiles that had made you fall in love with him in the first place. He had spoken so fondly about his family that your nerves slowly disappeared the closer you got. You wanted this more than you cared to admit, you wanted them to like you not because you needed anyone’s approval but because the idea of belonging somewhere of feeling welcomed into a family had always been something you secretly longed for.
Growing up, home had never really felt like home. Family dinners often ended in arguments and celebrations rarely felt like celebrations and affection wasn’t something that came naturally in your household. Somewhere along the way you’d started imagining that perhaps loving Guéla meant gaining the family you’d never truly had.
His parents greeted you politely enough as his mother kissed Guéla on both cheeks before offering you a warm smile while his father shook your hand and welcomed you inside.
You found yourself smiling as Désiré wandered into the kitchen immediately pulling his older brother into a playful argument over football. His girlfriend Juliette stood beside him laughing quietly as the two brothers bickered and before long everyone was gathered around the dining table talking over one another in the easy chaotic way families often did and you allowed yourself to slowly ease into the family.
Halfway through the evening the doorbell rang and Guéla’s mother brightened instantly. “Oh! they’re here!”
A family friend entered carrying a bottle of wine followed closely by their daughter a young woman around your age who greeted everyone with easy familiarity. It was immediately obvious she had known Guéla’s family for years. She hugged his parents and teased Désiré about something that had happened years ago and laughed with everyone as though she belonged there. You smiled politely and introduced yourself but a small voice in the back of your mind whispered that you suddenly felt like an outsider in a room that had only moments ago felt welcoming.
Dinner began pleasantly enough… or so you thought. Conversations and stories from childhood had everyone laughing. You relaxed again and convinced the earlier insecurity had been nothing more than overthinking. Then Guéla’s mother looked across the table towards the family friend’s daughter and smiled.
“You know,” she said with a soft laugh, “when you two were younger I really thought you and Guéla would end up together.”
The table chuckled. “Oh please.” The young woman who was called Emma said. “Guéla is like a bother to me!”
“I’m serious,” his father added. “You would have made such a lovely couple.”
Your smile faltered almost imperceptibly as Guéla looked down at his plate with an embarrassed grin shaking his head as though it were nothing more than harmless teasing.
His mother wasn’t finished. “She understands our family,” she continued. “She grew up around us and she knows our traditions and our culture, sometimes I think life would’ve been much simpler.”
Something in your chest tightened, but you waited into thinking surely Guéla would say something, but no, because instead he let out a quiet laugh, it didn’t sound like a cruel laugh and it wanst menat to hurt you but it sounded like the uncomfortable laugh of someone trying to avoid confrontation, but it hurted you more than you’d expect.
His father leaned back in his chair. “Nothing against you of course,” he said glancing briefly in your direction, “but we always imagined someone… uh different.”
The words hung in the air. Different? You stared down at your plate suddenly unable to taste the food in front of you as you suddenly lost your appetite.
His mother sighed. “She seems lovely,” she said though her tone suggested otherwise, “but family is important and so is comparability.”
Each sentence was a form of negative politeness and each sentence coming from their mouths made your chest tightened.
You had spent weeks wondering what dessert to bring and worrying whether your outfit was appropriate hoping this evening would be the beginning of feeling like you finally belonged somewhere. But tonight It felt like someone had quietly reminded you that you never would.
Across the table you caught Désiré looking at you and his smile had disappeared and Juliette noticed too, then you looked at Guéla and he still hadn’t noticed. Or perhaps he has and simply didn’t know what to do.
After dinner everyone drifted into the living room but you quietly excused yourself mumbling something about wanting some fresh air. You wrapped your arms around yourself staring out into the dark garden as tears blurred your vision.
You had hoped that maybe, just maybe this family could become the one you’d always wished for and then you heard the back door opened softly behind you. You quickly wiped your eyes before turning around, It wasn’t Guéla, It was Désiré.
He looked at you for a second before quietly saying, “You shouldn’t have had to sit through that.”
You forced a smile. “I’m okay.”
“No,” he replied gently. “You’re pretending to be okay.”
Juliette stepped outside behind him her expression full of concern. “We saw your face,” she said softly. “And we saw his.”
You frowned. “What do you mean?”
She sighed. “He was uncomfortable, but he should’ve said something.”
Désiré nodded firmly. “And I’m going to make sure he knows that.” And he headed back inside.
From the hallway you could already hear Dés’s voice. “Guéla, we need to talk.” The tone in his younger brother’s voice was enough to make him follow without another question. As soon as they were out of earshot Désiré folded his arms across his chest. “What was that?”
Guéla blinked. “What do you mean?”
“You seriously didn’t hear what Mum and Dad were saying?”
He sighed rubbing the back of his neck. “They were just talking.”
“No,” Désiré said firmly. “They were putting your girlfriend down in front of everyone and comparing her to someone else.”
Guéla looked away. “I didn’t know what to say.”
“But that’s how it looked.” Désiré shook his head. “She sat there listening to them basically say she’d never be good enough for this family and the one person she needed to stand up for her didn’t.”
Guéla’s stomach dropped as he replayed the evening in his head, not replaying what his parents had said, but your face. The way you’d stopped smiling and the way you’d barely spoken for the rest of dinner. “Where is she?” he asked quietly.
You were sitting on the small stone bench beneath the fairy lights staring out across the garden when you heard the patio door slide open behind you, you didn’t need to turn around to know who it was.
Then Guéla sat down beside you.“I’m sorry.”His voice was quiet, weighed down by guilt. “I should’ve said something.”
You kept your eyes fixed on the flowers in front of you. “I just really wanted them to like me.”
He swallowed hard.“I know.”
“I thought maybe,” You let out a small shaky laugh. “Maybe I’d finally know what it felt like to have a family that wanted me.”
Guéla’s heart sank and he reached for your hand hesitantly. “I’m so sorry,” he whispered again. “Not just for what they said but because I let you face it alone, I was scared of upsetting them and instead I hurt you.”
You finally looked at him and you can see it in his eyes he was full of regret. “You didn’t deserve that,” he said. “And if I could go back I’d choose you every single time.”
